How to scan to document

Insert scanned text or images into Word

If you’ve got a printed document or picture that you want to insert into your Word document, there are a couple of ways you can do that.

Note: If you’re looking for instructions on how to connect your scanner or copier to Microsoft Windows, please visit the manufacturer’s support website for your device.

Scan an image into Word

To scan an image into a Word document, you can use a scanner, a multi-function printer, a copier with scan capability, or a digital camera.

Scan your image or take a photograph of it with your digital camera or smartphone.

In Word, place your cursor where you would like to insert the scanned image and on the Insert tab of the Ribbon, click Pictures.

Select your scanned picture from the dialog box, and click Insert.

Scan text into Word

The best way to scan a document into Microsoft Word is to use our free Office Lens app on your smartphone or tablet. It uses your device’s camera to capture the document and can save directly into Word format as an editable document. It’s available for free on iPad, iPhone, Windows Phone and Android.

If you don’t want to use Office Lens, the next best option is to scan your document as a PDF using your scanner’s native software and then open that PDF file in Word.

In Word click File > Open.

Navigate to where your PDF file is stored, and open it.

Word will open a dialog box confirming that it is going to attempt to import the text of the PDF file. Click OK to confirm, and Word will import the text. Word will do its best to preserve the formatting of the text as it appears in the PDF.

See Edit PDF content in Word for more information.

Note: The accuracy of the text recognition depends on the quality of the scan and on the clarity of the text you scanned. Handwritten text is seldom recognized, so scanning typed or printed text will give the best results. Always proofread the text after opening it in Word to ensure the text was accurately recognized.

Alternatively, your scanner may have come with an application that allows you to do Optical Character Recognition (OCR). Check the documentation for your device, or contact the manufacturer of your device, for more information.

Do you have a question about Word that we didn’t answer here?

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How to Scan Documents or Photos in Windows 10

There are several ways to scan documents and photos with Windows 10. Let’s review the options as well as modern alternatives.

There are multiple ways to scan a document or photo in Windows 10. You might be wondering, who needs to scan stuff in this digital decade? Unfortunately, there are many circumstances in which paper is still the preferred or default format. Banking and Government documents for taxes, for example, still show up at the house in paper form — ick.. normally arrive at my house

In this article, I will review a few ways you can scan a document using a physical scanner or the free Office Lens app for Windows 10. After all, who wants to be buried under a mountain of unsearchable paper documents?

Windows 10 – Scan Documents, Business Cards, or Photos using a Scanner

Windows 10 includes a built-in scan utility, which you can access from the printer context menu.

Click Start, type: devices and printer then hit Enter. Right-click your scanner or printer, then click Start Scan.

Users have several options on the screen which let you preview the document, choose a color format (color or black and white), adjust brightness, set the appropriate resolution, and even choose the format you want to save it in: JPEG, PDF, or PNG. If you are satisfied with the results after reviewing the document, proceed to click Scan.

Make your selections, Click Preview to ensure everything looks good then click Scan.

After giving your scanned document a Name, add a few tags to make it easier to search for later. Click Import.

Your scanned document can normally be found in Pictures within the scanned files folder.

With each revision of Windows 10, Microsoft is slowly deprecating parts of the classic desktop and the built-in scan utility might become the next victim. Microsoft released a modern universal app you can download from the Windows Store called Windows Scan.

Depending on when you’re reading this article, the Windows Scan app might be the best place to start scanning paper documents or photos. If you updated to Windows 10 from 8, you might even have it installed. That said, I had to blow away the app from my Windows 10 box and reinstall it from the Windows Store. Something must have been corrupted during the Windows 8 to 10 upgrade.

The User Interface of Scanner

The interface is quite similar to the old scanning utility. You can preview your document, crop it before scanning the final document, adjust resolution, select appropriate file formats and choose your save location.

When ready, click Scan then review the scanned document.

Scan Documents, Business Cards or Photos or Whiteboards using a Mobile Phone

Although once very popular, many people just don’t buy scanners anymore. No worries, Microsoft also makes an excellent mobile app called Office Lens. We’ve written about the iPhone/iPad version in detail however it also works well on Android.

Download Links:

The Office Lens app scans photos, whiteboards, business cards, and documents quickly and easily. It’s fully integrated with other Microsoft apps like OneDrive, Word, and OneNote.

It’s simple to use, just launch Office Lens, tap the scanner tab, then choose the type of content to scan. Office Lens will optimize its settings and create a frame around the document when it is recognized.

Tap the camera button to capture the file, preview the document then make further adjustments such as cropping or saving it in the desired format.

After scanning your document, there are other tasks you might want to perform such as adding a label, crop, delete it or save it for use in OneNote, OneDrive, Word, or PowerPoint. All of these apps available in the Office suite as part of Microsoft 365.

Summing Up

So, that’s a look at scanning documents and photos in Windows 10, both old and new. I must admit, using a dedicated flatbed scanner still remains the best choice for scanning documents; if you want the best quality. That said, it’s hard to beat the convenience and speed of a mobile combined with Onedrive. Sure, the quality might not be as good but, in most cases, it’s probably good enough.

How to Scan to a Word Document

Plus, convert a scanned PDF to Word

What to Know

Most installed desktop versions of Microsoft Word can open and convert PDF files into editable Word documents directly. Or, you can scan pages and open recognized text in Word with an Android or iOS smartphone camera or a desktop scanner.

Scan Documents and Open with Installed Word

The character recognition capabilities in Microsoft Word work best with documents that are primarily text. For example, Word would be likely to cleanly open and convert a contract comprised of several pages of printed text whereas Word may struggle to cleanly recognize text in a brochure where text is printed within or around images in anything other than a single column.

You’ll need a working scanner connected to a Windows or macOS system, along with a relatively recent version of Word.

Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Microsoft 365 all support the ability to open and convert PDF files into Word documents. While Microsoft offers some instructions for converting PDF files into word for older versions, such as Office 2010 and Office 2007, the process is more complicated.

Follow your scanner manufacturer’s instructions to scan your document to a PDF file. Save this file at a location you will remember on your computer.

Open Microsoft Word.

Select File > Open, then navigate to the location of your saved PDF.

Select the PDF file, and choose Open. Word will open the PDF and convert recognized text into a document you may edit.

Read the converted text carefully, as some letters may be incorrect. The system may display items not identified within the document as images.

Use Mobile Apps for Android or iPhone

On an Android or iOS device, you’ll need to install both the Office Lens app (install for Android or iOS) and Microsoft Word (install for Android or iOS). After you install each app, tap to open it, and then sign in with your Microsoft account. Once you’ve installed and signed in to both apps, you’re ready to scan pages.

Tap to open Office Lens.

Along the bottom of the app, switch the slider to Document. (The choices displayed may include Whiteboard, Document, Business Card, and Photo.)

Position your camera to capture the text you want to scan to Word within view. Tap the button to capture the image.

After a page image is captured, you can either rotate it or crop the edges, if needed.

If you have additional pages to capture, tap the camera icon (in the lower left) to take another photo. Repeat this process until you have no more pages to scan.

Tap Done. The system will display your Save To options.

Tap Word. (On Android, you will then need to tap Save.)

Wait for the app to recognize the text. The app may indicate “Waiting to transfer” or “Transferring” as it works. It will display the scanned document with a Word icon on the display.

Tap the document, which will open your scanned file in a Microsoft Word document. For reference, the Word document includes the image you captured within the document.

Review the recognized text to make sure the information is accurate.

Convert a PDF to a Word Document

If you lack access to Microsoft Word or your version of Word doesn’t open PDF files, you can still likely scan files to a PDF with an Android or iOS device, and then convert the documents into Microsoft Word.

Follow the instructions in How to Scan Documents to Your Phone or Tablet to capture your pages into a PDF.

Then, use a website service, such as CloudConvert.com or FileZigZag.com, to upload your PDF, convert it to a Word document format, then download it and save it to your system.

How to Scan From Printer to Computer

Scanning made simple to your Windows or Mac device

What to Know

This article explains how to capture a document scan from a printer to your Windows PC or Mac. These instructions will work on Windows 10, as well as macOS 11 (Big Sur). The instructions require that the drivers are installed and your printer is already in working order.

lolostock / Getty Images

Capturing a Scan From a Printer on a Windows PC

Your printer model may come with software including not only its drivers but also a suite of programs to use all the device’s functionality. If this is the case, then within those programs there’s also likely a scanning program.

But if your model didn’t come with such software, or you prefer to use in-built OS functions when possible, these instructions are for you. Take the following steps to capture your scan using tools included with a standard Windows installation.

Open the Start Menu, and search for the Scan app.

Alternately, press Win+x to call the Power User Menu.

Select Settings.

Select Devices from the main Settings screen.

Next, click Printers & Scanners.

Click on your desired printer, then click Manage.

If the printer is a multi-function device, it will include a drop-down menu. Select the entry starting with Scanner.

Click Open scanner, which will also open the Scan Windows app.

Arrange your document’s page(s) either on the flatbed or in the feeder, making sure they’re aligned correctly.

Click the Scan button in the app.

The Scan app’s Source setting dictates if it will scan from the device’s document feeder (if there is one), or from the flatbed. Unless you know you need to change it, it’s a good idea to leave this set on Auto. Document feeders typically have a lever to detect if there are pages inside, and leaving this set to Auto will scan from the feeder if there’s something loaded, and the flatbed otherwise. Note that when scanning with the flatbed, you’ll need to scan one page at a time.

Your scan will automatically be saved in the Scans sub-directory of your standard Pictures folder. It will be saved in PNG format by default and named «Scan» appended with a date stamp (e.g. Scan_20210614.PNG).

Capturing a Scan From a Printer on a Mac

Scanning from a Mac is just as easy as on Windows 10 (arguably, even easier).

Open the Apple menu, and select System Preferences.

Click Printers & Scanners.

Select your printer, then click Scan.

Click Open Scanner.

In the Scanner program, you can select the folder to which your scans will be saved by making a select in the Scan to drop-down menu (shown as Pictures in the below image).

To the right, the Size drop-down menu (shown as US Letter in the above screenshot) will also let you choose the size of the item.

If your scanner has a document feeder and you want to use it, select Use Document Feeder.

Clicking on Show Details will display a number of additional options, as follows: Scan Mode (Flatbed or Document Feeder), Kind (Text, Black & White, or Color), Resolution (quality of the image in DPI), Rotation Angle (to change the rotation of the saved image), Auto Selection (which can try to detect multiple items on the flatbed and save them separately, for example), Name, Format, and Image Correction (which provides options to adjust coloring).

Click Scan to start your scanning job.

If you’re using Windows 10, open Windows Fax and Scan and select New Scan. Select the Profile drop-down, choose Document, then select the scanner type, such as Flatbed or Feeder. Select Scan. When your document finishes scanning, select File > Print. Click the Printer drop-down and choose Microsoft Print to PDF, then click Print and choose a save location. If you’re using a Mac, open a new Finder window and select Go > Applications > Image Capture. Select your scanner, scanner type, and destination folder. Select Format > PDF, then click Scan.

Many scanners offer a scan-to-email function. For example, on a Brother printer, load and scan your document, as usual, then select Send Email. Configure your settings and click OK. Your default email program will send the scanned document. If your scanner doesn’t have this function, scan the document to PDF format (for the most flexibility), then save it to your desired location on your computer. Then, open your email program and send the scanned document or image as an attachment.

Open the Notes app on your iPhone and create a new Note. Then tap the Camera icon and choose Scan Documents. Position the document in your camera’s view. Let Notes automatically focus and capture the image, or manually tap the shutter button. Drag the handles to crop the scan, then select Keep Scan when you’re finished.

How to scan a document in Windows 10 using the Windows Scan app

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Scanning software can be confusing and time-consuming to set up and operate.

Fortunately, Windows 10 has an app called Windows Scan that simplifies the process for everyone, saving you time and frustration.

How to find the Windows Scan app

Before you start scanning documents, you’ll need to make sure that you have Windows Scan installed on your computer.

1. To check if you have Windows Scan installed, click on the Start menu, and then click «All apps» (represented by an icon that looks like a bulleted list).

2. Scroll through the list until you find the Scan app, and click on it.

How to download the Windows Scan app

If you can’t find the Scan app on your computer, you will need to download it from the Microsoft Store.

1. From the Start menu, click on «Microsoft Store.»

2. From there, click on the bar that says «Search» and type in «Scan.»

3. «Windows Scan» should be the first result that pops up in the dropdown menu — click on it.

4. On the next page, click on the button labeled «Get» and Windows Scan will begin downloading automatically.

5. Once it has downloaded completely, click «Launch» to open the app.

How to scan a document in Windows 10 using the Windows Scan app

Once you have confirmed that Windows Scan is installed and open on your computer, you can begin scanning documents.

1. Check to make sure that your scanner is connected.

2. Once your scanner has been connected properly, select the file type you want from the Scan app’s menu.

3. If you click «Show More» in the Scan app’s menu, you can adjust additional settings for your scan, including color, resolution, and the folder in which you want to save your scan. If you skip this step, your scan will use the default settings.

4. Position the document you want to scan inside your scanner. This can be done either face-down on the scanner glass or face-up in the scanner document feeder, depending on the type of scanner you have.

5. When you’re ready to begin scanning, click the «Scan» button on the Windows Scan app.

6. When your scan has finished, you can view it by clicking «View» on the Scan app. The scan will be saved in your computer’s «Pictures» folder unless you selected another location in the Scan app’s settings.

Please note that some older scanners are not compatible with Windows Scan, and thus cannot be used in conjunction with the Scan app.